Articles for tag: Susan Lawrence

March 2, 2017

Christian Standard

When Living the Good News Gets Easy

By Susan Lawrence We boil it down to the basics: Love Jesus. Help others love him too. But we have different approaches: “¢ Preach the gospel at all times. When necessary, use words. “¢ Help people. And if you can”t help, at least don”t hurt them. “¢ Give what you can, and you will receive more. Helping others achieve their dreams will help you achieve yours. We like to boil things down to the simplest form. We like quips that affirm and encourage us. If it sounds good, we think it is good. If we can”t readily see how something

December 18, 2016

Christian Standard

Working Women/Women’s Work: A View from the Heartland

By Susan Lawrence The sky is the limit . . . unless you live in a snow globe. My dad dreamed big for me. Dad would frequently say, “You, know, if you wanted, you could . . .” followed by yet another option for a job or hobby. I would have to live a dozen lifetimes to accomplish all he dreamed and schemed for me. Some of his ideas were a bit outlandish. Even though I knew I probably would never become a world champion downhill skier (we lived in central Illinois) or train exotic animals (farm animals were enough

June 2, 2016

Christian Standard

Moving from the Method of Meeting to the Mess of Meeting

By Susan Lawrence Encouragement for anyone who sometimes finds church a troubling place. If we insist on avoiding the messiness, we may miss the greatest blessing. Let us think about each other and help each other to show love and do good deeds. You should not stay away from the church meetings, as some are doing, but you should meet together and encourage each other. Do this even more as you see the day coming. If we decide to go on sinning after we have learned the truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 10:24-26*). Encouraging each

March 7, 2016

Christian Standard

Are You Sure It”s Time to Move On?

By Susan Lawrence Sometimes we think we”re done. It”s time to move on. We”re ready to be finished with a season because we”re exhausted or we see a better offer. Things aren”t going well, or things are going exceptionally well. For whatever reason, we assess (or rationalize) that God is prompting us to take a step away from where we are and move on to something else. When this is the case, and we”re ready to go, it”s hard when we sense God saying, “Wait just a minute.” It happened to Simon in Luke 5. Simon and other fishermen had

September 29, 2015

Mark A. Taylor

Annual Panic

By Mark A. Taylor Every August and September, I was gripped by panic. As part-time education minister with a smaller church (now it”s mega), I was responsible to recruit Sunday school workers for every age level and to staff a fully graded program on Wednesday nights. When kids choirs took a break on Sunday evenings (we had Sunday-night church back in those days), my job was to create and find workers for kids” classes then too. In a church of a few hundred, that was a lot of volunteers, and we never seemed to have quite enough. We encouraged people

September 17, 2015

Christian Standard

What Are They Thinking?

By Susan Lawrence Volunteers are at the heart of ministry. We may serve as a volunteer, work alongside volunteers, or oversee volunteers. We may even do all three at the same time! Working with volunteers isn”t the same as working with paid employees. Use the following as a cheat sheet to help you understand what might be going on behind the faces of your volunteers. For example, here are two possibilities for what the volunteer who serves every week, without complaint, and without ever needing to be reminded, might be thinking . . .  1. I love serving. This is

September 11, 2015

Christian Standard

Beyond Words

By Susan Lawrence 5 Gifts for Volunteers 1. Storybooks. Collect stories and memories from people involved in the ministry””those who have led, served alongside, and been served by volunteers. Bind together the stories, or place them in a photo album or scrapbook. Seeing and reading others” perspective will encourage and inspire your volunteers. 2. Coupons. Nearly everyone is busy, but when ministry is added into the schedule, other things get put on the back burner. Think of individual needs, and create a customized coupon for each person. Items to consider include pet care, babysitting, delivering a prepared meal, or a

April 17, 2015

Christian Standard

Helping Through the Hurt

By Susan Lawrence “Let me know if I can do anything to help.” We commonly extend the offer with a genuine desire to help. However, many times, people don”t know what they need, or they”re hesitant to ask. Through many difficult deaths and trials among our church family, I”ve learned a few things that help. Reach out to others even when they”re not reaching out. “¢ Simply be present. You don”t need to have the perfect words. You don”t need to have answers to every question. Sit with someone. Hold a hand. Give a hug through the sobs. “¢ Be

March 13, 2015

Christian Standard

The Dangers of Giving Your Life to Ministry

By Susan Lawrence The time and energy ministry takes can infect your family, friends, and, to be honest, just about every aspect of your life. You can burn out, get angry and resentful, and walk away from the faith that originally spurred you into ministry. Giving your life to ministry, whether it”s paid or unpaid, church or mission, home or overseas, is full of contradictions. You give your life to ministry and feel like you lose control. You agree to be set apart, then feel isolated. You”re overwhelmed, yet claim to trust a sovereign God. So, which is it? Are

September 26, 2014

Christian Standard

When Ministry Isn”t Fun

By Susan Lawrence “I have to work hard enough at my job””and I get paid for that. Volunteering for ministry shouldn”t take that much effort. If it”s not going to be fun, I”m not going to waste my time. I have more important things I”d rather do.” It”s the new epidemic of faulty reasoning about serving in the local church. A previous generation often served sacrificially out of obligation or guilt, sometimes at the expense of joy. But too many today refuse to serve if the task doesn”t bring them excitement or at least pleasure. “No one can make me.

September 20, 2014

Christian Standard

Advice for Volunteers and Those Who Recruit Them

By Susan Lawrence Change affects people differently. Some people thrive and others struggle. Change excites some and paralyzes others. But ministry and service are not about us or our comfort level. If we”re volunteering to serve and honor God, we need to yield to him. When we yield, we grow. When we grow, we change, and that change includes our service.  But when should we change, and how can we change in healthy ways? What questions do we need to ask?   WHY ARE YOU SERVING? Ask yourself . . . “¢ What is the purpose of the ministry I”m

July 5, 2014

Christian Standard

5 Things to Do at the NACC

By Susan Lawrence As usual, the North American Christian Convention is packed with possibilities. You might not know where to begin. If you”ve attended for years, you might drift through this year”s event””July 8 to 11 in Indianapolis””on autopilot. Or, perhaps you want to take in as much as possible, so you”ve highlighted your program to maximize every day from sunrise to well past sunset. Take a deep breath. The NACC isn”t just a program for you to power through. 1. Make eye contact. Notice people around you. Stroll. Sit. Savor. Don”t rush from one session to another and miss

April 27, 2014

Christian Standard

Circle Up

By Susan Lawrence “Then Jesus told his followers to have the people sit in groups on the green grass. So they sat in groups of fifty or a hundred. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish and, looking up to heaven, he thanked God for the food. He divided the bread and gave it to his followers for them to give to the people. Then he divided the two fish among them all. All the people ate and were satisfied” (Mark 6:39-42, New Century Version). I don”t know if the groups of 50 and 100 sat in circles or

April 18, 2013

Christian Standard

Steps to Healthy Growth in Ministry Relationships

By Susan Lawrence “My senior staff member just went behind my back and told my volunteer team about plans for significant change in my ministry before I was informed. What”s up with that?” “Why can”t my team just do what needs to be done without being babysat? What happened to personal motivation and responsibility?” “It”s time for change, and I don”t care what the rest of the staff thinks. They need to get on board or leave.” Working with ministry staff and volunteers is tough. Individuals bring their teams different personalities, experiences, and skills; and those differences can lead to

October 27, 2012

Christian Standard

The 3 R”s to Launching & Landing in Ministry

By Susan Lawrence It”s a great idea! You know it can have an impact on people. You”re excited to get it started. Others sense your excitement as you share with them, and they get excited, too. You”re ready to blast off with the power of a space shuttle. You”re in your comfort zone. Dream big, and shoot for the moon! You make a few plans, share what you imagine the beauty of the view will be once in flight, and press the LAUNCH button. The problem is what gets launched must also land. Without a plan for the journey, the

March 16, 2012

Christian Standard

A Call to Courage

By Susan Lawrence I”ve noticed something lately that deeply troubles me: a lack of courage among church leaders. Hear me out. I”m not saying church leaders aren”t godly people. I”m not saying I”ve lost all respect for church leaders. But as I talk to people around the country about a variety of situations in their churches, my uneasiness grows as I see a common thread. I”m sure it”s not new, but I”m confident God has brought several situations to my attention, so he could whisper something in my ear: “Be on guard.” After listening to a youth pastor”s accusations behind

August 18, 2011

Christian Standard

Volunteers and Paid Staff Are in the SAME Battle

By Susan Lawrence I”ve been a paid ministry staff member and a volunteer ministry leader, and there are things we need to understand about each other. Ministry isn”t a territorial war. Our battles are side by side, not head-on. ________   I”m a volunteer. I”d like paid staff members to understand . . . I want to be included. Invite me to occasional staff planning meetings. Let me be a part of the decision-making and planning process. It keeps me motivated to do ministry. If you simply tell me what has to be done, or assume I already know, I

May 11, 2011

Christian Standard

Why Women”s Ministry?

By Susan Lawrence with Darrel Rowland Editor”s note: Why have a women”s ministry? We asked women”s ministry consultant Susan Lawrence for her answers. In addition to her ministry with women”s groups in many places, Susan coordinates women”s ministry at her home church, Taylorville (Illinois) Christian. To have or not to have a women”s ministry? It”s a question every church needs to answer, but the answer won”t be the same for every church. Many churches make their decisions to have or not to have a women”s ministry for rather twist-ed reasons. For instance, continuing a women”s ministry because “we”ve had women”s ministry for

May 9, 2011

Christian Standard

Reaching Their Potential?

By Darrel Rowland Women”s ministry leaders across the country””plus a token guy””were asked: “Do most Christian churches/churches of Christ you”re aware of allow women to reach their full potential in Christ?” Paul Boatman, seminary dean at Lincoln (Illinois) Christian University Of course they do! The trick is to keep their full potential limited so that they are prevented from exercising any God-given talents that might impinge on our fantasies of masculine control. Some leadership roles just cannot be filled without testosterone! Having participated in at least a dozen ordinations of women to specialized ministries, I experience frustration at consistently seeing

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